MS Dhoni’s friend and business partner, Arun Pandey reveals that former Indian skipper will be spending a lot more time with the Territorial Army after his retirement, rejecting that Dhoni’s brand will go down due to the decision. Pandey saw the retirement announcement coming after this year’s T20 World Cup, which has now been postponed to 2022 last month, but only Dhoni knew that it would come on Independence Day.
During a chat with PTI, Pandey said, “I was aware that he would do it soon but did not know the exact timing. Anyway, it was for him to decide. He had started IPL preparations but it was postponed and then the T20 World Cup was postponed, he thought to be mentally free. And since August 15 is a special day for the Army, he must have thought on those lines. The T20 World Cup postponement was surely a factor as he planned for it.”
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Dhoni holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army. After India lost to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semifinal loss, he trained with the Parachute Regiment for more than a month.
Talking about the same, Arun Pandey said, “One thing is for sure, he will be spending more time with the Army. He will also give time to his commercial ventures and other commitments. We will sit down soon and decide the way forward.”
In most cases, the brand value of an athlete tends to go down after retirement but Pandey feels such things won’t be happening with Dhoni.
Pandey explained, “Since the World Cup (in July 2019), we have signed up with 10 new brands and it is a long-term thing. It will keep on increasing as Dhoni is not just about cricket, he is a youth icon. In most cases, retirement does have an impact but not when it comes to Dhoni. His achievements are not individual, his achievements are for the team and for the country. Â The T20 World Cup postponement was definitely a factor in his retirement.”
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The T20 World Cup 2020, which was to take place in Australia in October-November and now it has been postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. India has the hosting rights for the 2021 edition.
